Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Nineteen

When Rhett got to the mansion it was time for dinner, so he went straight to the dining room. As he sat down at the table he said to Wade, "Where is your mother?"

"She is in her room. Her visit with Aunt Melly tired her out."

"Of course."

"When is she going to get well?"

Rhett smiled and said, "As quickly as she can. Five days ago, she suffered a serious fall, and we were all just hoping she would live. Luckily, she lived. Now she has the challenging task of recovering. She is still in bad shape. Furthermore, I don't want her rushed. We have to consider the baby."

"Baby?!"

Ella said, "Baby?"

Bonnie said, "What?"

Rhett said, "Oh boy." He took a deep breath. Scarlett probably hadn't wanted them to know yet, but what was done was done. He continued, "Your mother is going to have another baby."

Wade said, "When?"

Ella said, "Will it be a girl?"

Bonnie said, "What?"

Rhett smiled and did some quick calculations. Since he knew the date of conception, he could confidently say when the baby would arrive. He said, "January…" He had been about to say the fifteenth, but he decided at the last minute not to because he suspected that nine months was not an exact science. Therefore, he just left it at January.

Wade said, "I hope it is a boy, and it comes before my birthday."

Ella said, "Girl."

Rhett said, "We don't know what gender it is going to be until the baby gets here."

Bonnie said, "What?"

Rhett looked at his child and smiled, he said, "You are going to be a big sister. After Christmas, your mother is going to bring a new baby into the world."

"I baby."

"You are my baby, but we will soon have another baby in the house, and you will become a big girl then."

"No. No baby."

"Yes. Baby."

"No. I don't want."

Rhett smiled at his spoilt brat of a daughter and thought, 'You have your work cut out for you in the next several months, get Scarlett well, pry Ashley out of her heart, and of most difficulty, change the brat you created into a loving, kind child. No strike that. Change the disobedient child you created into an obedient one for Scarlett's and my child will never truly be loving or kind.'

Rhett said, "You don't always get what you want. This is what is going to happen. The baby is already on its way. We can't send him back."

Excitedly Wade said, "It is a boy?"

"No, I just referred to it as a boy in a general sense."

An obviously deflated Wade said, "Oh."

"You can still hope. You still have a fifty-fifty shot at getting what you want."

"True."

"Everyone eat up. I need to check on your mother."

Ella said, "Will we see her today?"

"At supper."

"Yes, sir."

After dinner, Rhett took the children to the nursery and dropped them off with Mammy. He walked down the hall to his room. He had brought the ledger from Johnny's sawmill. If Scarlett was sleeping, he was going to look the numbers over and see what he could tell.

Thirty minutes later, when Scarlett woke up, she saw Rhett sitting in the chair in the room and she smiled. He was so handsome. His brow was furrowed like he was really concentrating on something. She had never seen that look on his face. He always looked so carefree and untroubled.

As if Rhett could sense her eyes on him, he looked at her. Scarlett smiled. He smiled back. He put the ledger aside and said, "You didn't eat any of your dinner?

"No, I fell asleep before someone brought it to me. She must have just left it there."

"Do you want to try to eat the rest of it? Or do you want me to get you a sandwich instead."

"I will eat it. Waste not want not."

"After your time after the war, I guess you will never be able to waste food."

With a sad smile, Scarlett said, "No, I will not." With a happy tone, she continued, "Help me sit up, then hand it to me." Scarlett looked at the water on her tray and said, "I would like some iced tea. Do we have any ice?"

"If we don't, I will send someone to go get some for you. What is the point of having lots of money if one cannot have ice in one's tea?"

Scarlett smiled at him and said, "True. Come help me sit up."

"Sure."

After Rhett had Scarlett in a seated position, he said, "When was the last time you had the wrapping for your ribs changed?"

"This morning, but don't fuss. It takes too much energy to get undressed and dressed. I will get Mammy to do it when I change into my nightgown later tonight. Tell me about your visit to my businesses."

"I will. But let me call for a servant to get you some iced tea and some cookies."

"Thank you."

Clara brought the tea and several cookies. Rhett sat down on the other side of the bed. He watched Scarlett finish her meal. She ate almost all of the cookies. At the last minute she had offered him the last one. He had smiled and said, "No, you eat it."

Scarlett didn't ask him twice. She happily ate the last cookie. Rhett smiled and thought, 'She looks just like Bonnie in this moment. They both have sweet tooths.'

Rhett told Scarlett about her businesses. She told him about her visit with Melly. He then told her all about his trip to New Orleans and Charleston. He didn't mention her aunts and surprising to him, she didn't either. He knew one of them had written to her about his visit. He had been counting on it so he could aggravate her long distance.

Scarlett mentioned something she had read in the newspaper that morning. He teased, "You aren't supposed to be reading?"

Scarlett smiled at him and said, "Wade read it to me."

The couple spent the rest of the afternoon in their room talking. Talking about what was going on in the world, talking about what was going on in Atlanta, and just talking about their lives. Rhett mocked and teased, but he also made some mocking comments about the matrons and a lot of the Scallawag wives. To Scarlett's surprise he never said a word about Ashley. They were talking like they had before they had gotten married. They had talked like old friends. It was the best time either one of them had in a long time.

When Rhett heard the gong to notify everyone that supper would be served in five minutes, he got off the bed. Scarlett said, "I need to go to the WC."

"I do too, but I will wait for you to get finished."

Scarlett giggled. She said, "I certainly hope so."

Scarlett didn't care that it hurt to laugh. She was just happy to laugh. She hadn't laughed in such a long time. Really laugh. Maybe not since New Orleans. She decided that if she was dying, she was alright with it. Rhett would make her last days happy days. Furthermore, if she was dead, she would be free of all these burdens she was carrying. Her children, no not her children. Her reputation, no she didn't need to worry about her reputation. The only thing keeping it above water was Melly. She would let Melly worry about her reputation. Her businesses, no she was going to sell her businesses. Her aunts would be on their own. She smiled with that thought. She liked that thought.

As Rhett and Scarlett were walking down the hallway, she looked at him. She smiled her mischievous smile. She wondered if they would contact Rhett and ask him for money. No, they would ask his mother for money, and she would ask him for more money. Scarlett liked that scenario.

Rhett looked at Scarlett. She was getting her color back and she seemed healthier. He wondered what she was thinking because she was smiling her conniving smile. He loved it. He hoped whatever she was dreaming up wasn't going to hit him between the eyes. It didn't matter. Those kinds of things came with living with Scarlett O'Hara Butler.

Right before the couple got to the dining room, Rhett said, "While you were sleeping, I looked over the ledger from Johnny's mills. Something is not right. I have known Johnny for a long time, and he is a cheat. I will figure out how he is cheating you, even if I have to spend the day at his mill."

"Thank you."

"I already know he is taking the food you have bought for the prisoners and reselling it."

"How do you know that?"

"It is an assumption, but it makes sense. There is no one watching him that closely."

Scarlett remembered she had caught Johnny doing that when she was carrying Ella. He had threatened to quit. She had needed him too much to let him quit so she had backed down. Now she had Rhett. She said, "If he is selling their food what are the prisoners eating."

"Much, much cheaper food and a lot less of it."

"I would appreciate you doing that for me."

Rhett gave Scarlett a bow and she just smiled. She walked to her place at the table.

Supper was nice and Scarlett let the children do most of the talking. She smiled at Wade, and he smiled back. A real smile. She thought, 'Maybe he isn't as afraid of me as he once was. Or because I am so sick he knows I can't yell at him.

At one point Ella said, "Mama, your bruises have changed colors. They are more yellow now."

"Yes, Dear."

"When will all the bruises be gone."

Scarlett didn't speak because she didn't know the answer. Much to her happiness though, Ella just sat there not saying a word waiting for her mother to answer her.

Scarlett finally said, "I don't know. I will ask Dr. Harrison next time he comes to visit."

Rhett said, "That will be tomorrow morning. Ella, we will tell you what he says."

"Thank you, Daddy."

Bonnie said, "Ucky."

Rhett said sharply, "Bonnie what did I tell you about saying your mother was ucky."

"Not Mama. This."

Bonnie then pointed to the carrots on her plate.

Scarlett said, "Yucky or not you still have to eat them."

Bonnie looked at her father and he just stared back at her. Finally, she said, "Yes."

The rest of supper was pleasant enough. As everyone was leaving the dining room, Scarlett said, "Wade, would you tell Mammy I need her help to get ready for bed?"

"Of course, Mama."

Rhett walked with Scarlett to the stairs and said, "Let me get you to our room. You can wait for Mammy there. I am going out to play some cards."

"Alright, Dear."

Soon Rhett was on his way to The Painted Lady, and the children were in bed. Scarlett's ribs were wrapped, and she was in bed. She was working on some needlepoint. She wouldn't work on it very long before she got her book out, but she had to have something to show Rhett if he asked her what she did all evening.

Rhett rode his horse over to The Painted Lady and thought about what he was going to tell his fellow poker players. He would tell them the same story, second verse.

Rhett rode his horse around to the back of the saloon where the barn was. He saw Casper there and decided that he couldn't do anything to repair the damage he had done to his reputation by being seen frequently at a whore house. As Rhett handed the reins to the boy and tossed him a penny, he thought, 'At least, my reputation can't get any worse."

As Rhett walked around to the front of the saloon, he thought, 'No, it can't get any worse. I will have to ponder on how to make Scarlett's reputation better. If there is anyway. There probably is a way. I never thought I could restore my reputation, but I did. Of course, it was at the expense of Scarlett's. Maybe I can restore hers at my expense, but not to where I am not received. I will think about it tomorrow. I have to think about what lies I am going to tell everyone right now.'